Montgomery County Council to Hold Public Hearing on Hiring Persons With Disabilities

Advisory ID: 10-003

Advisory Date: 1/12/2010

Contact: Neil H. Greenberger 240-777-7939 or Jean Arthur240-777-7934

From: Council Office

Montgomery County Council to Hold Public Hearing on Hiring Persons With Disabilities

Also on Tuesday, Jan. 12: Hearing on Farmers’ Markets, Committee to Be Briefed on Snow Removal Procedures

ROCKVILLE, Md., January 11, 2010—The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday, Jan. 12, will hold an evening public hearing on Bill 46-09 that would establish a hiring preference for certain qualified persons with disabilities who apply for an initial appointment to a County merit system position.

The public hearing on the bill, whose chief sponsor is Councilmember Phil Andrews, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The regular Council session will begin at special time of 1 p.m.

The regular Council session and the evening public hearing will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). The live broadcast also can be viewed via streaming through the County Web site at www.montgomerycountymd.gov. The broadcast will be repeated at 9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 15.

The afternoon session also will include a public hearing, beginning at 1:30 p.m., on proposed Zoning Text Amendment 09-11 that would allow farmers’ markets on larger parcels of land (more than four acres) adjacent to major roads (four lanes or more), if the lot is in use for a non-residential purpose.

If approved, the measure, whose chief sponsor is Councilmember Roger Berliner and whose co-sponsors are George Leventhal and Duchy Trachtenberg, would allow markets to legally operate, such as the Twin Springs Farmers Market at the Concord St. Andrews Church in Bethesda that the County’s Department of Permitting Services found to be in violation of current zoning restrictions.

The Twin Springs Market was found to violate current zoning laws because law prohibits farmers markets from operating in residential zones, but Councilmember Berliner’s efforts have enabled the market to stay open while other options were considered. The policy is typically enforced on a complaint basis, which was the case with the Twin Springs Farmers Market located at the corner of River Road and Goldsboro Road.

After the Council’s full session adjourns, the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee, which is chaired by Nancy Floreen and includes Councilmembers Berliner and Leventhal, will meet at 2:30 p.m. in the Seventh Floor Hearing Room to receive a briefing on the County’s snow removal procedures. Council President Floreen set up the briefing at the request of Councilmembers Berliner and Valerie Ervin, who said they received numerous complaints about snow removal operations during the December storm that dumped 20-24 inches of snow around the region. This meeting also will be televised live on CCM.